Hopkins quoted in Morning Sentinel preview of Maine Maple Sunday

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

March 21, 2018 Cooperative Extension, Economic Development, Outreach, UMaine in the News

Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Morning Sentinel for an article about the 35th annual Maine Maple Sunday on March 25. “It’s kind of turning into a tale of two seasons,” said Hopkins, who is based in Skowhegan. “From here south in the state, people have already made syrup. I talked to a couple this morning who said they’ve already made two-thirds of a crop, so that’s pretty good. When we got all that snow and the cold, cold weather, everything came to a stop, but today is just about perfect for the sap to run.” Ideal conditions for the sap to run, be collected and boiled down to make syrup happens when it’s below freezing at night and into the 40s during the day, according to the article. Sugarbushes north of Skowhegan in Somerset County have not really started to produce sap yet, said Hopkins, who joined Gov. Paul LePage to tap trees at the Blaine House. “I think Sunday will be great. It’s the 35th anniversary of Maine Maple Sunday, and I think a lot of sugar makers are planning a few extra events to commemorate that,” she said. “I think the next few days will be perfect, and I’m imagining that everybody will be boiling.”